International Falls freshman Lexi Erickson finished eighth out of more than 200 cross country runners competing amid the wind and the rain in the Class A girls varsity race at Saturday’s Swain Invitational in Duluth.
Erickson edged out Mora freshman Brook Wedin at the finish for a top-eight spot by a tenth of a second as she completed the 4,000-meter course in 16 minutes, 21.3 seconds.
“Lexi Erickson really ran (Saturday),” said Broncos head coach Paul Hjelle. “She is a lot stronger than last year and is now passing runners coming into the chute.
“Last year she had difficulty with that. She is confident right now and it really shows on race day.”
St. Paul Academy and Summit junior Mary Nass finished first overall in 15:48.5.
The only other Falls runner to finish in the top 50 was senior Sydney Raboin, who placed 48th in 17:40.7.
The three other Bronco girls whose finishes were among the team’s top five included: senior Amy Auran, 93rd in 18:35.2; senior Lexi Owen, 117th in 18:57.5; and junior Jenna Anderson, 153rd in 19:58.7.
“Racing was really hard (Saturday),” Erickson said. “The weather was not the best conditions.
“It was really windy and rainy, but we all pulled through and had a pretty good day. I’m excited to see how we do at the Section meet.”
The Falls ended up with 394 points to place 15th out of 30 teams with at least five finishers to count in the standings.
The Trinity School at River Ridge had the top team score at 91, followed by St. Paul Academy and Summit (182), Mora (201), Lake City (227) and Holdingford (230) rounding out the top five.
Last year’s Section 7A and State Class A champion, Esko, placed 10th at 352. Another Section 7A team finishing ahead of the Broncos, Mesabi East, placed 14th at 384.
“The Section 7A meet (on Oct. 24) is really going to be a battle for that runner-up spot,” Hjelle said. “It could go to South Ridge, Mesabi East or us.
“It will come down to who improves the rest of the way. The second-through-fourth-place teams could all be within a couple of points of each other.”
Ulrich 11th in JV race
The Bronco boys did not compete at the varsity level at Saturday’s Swain Invitational. They instead had four runners who finished the junior varsity race and consequently did not have a team score.
Senior Wyatt Ulrich had Falls’ best finish when he completed the 5,000-meter course in 19:36.7 for 11th place in a field of 146.
“It wasn’t only the hills that was hard (Saturday),” Ulrich said. “The wind and rain made it really difficult. Now we have some experience with bad weather, just in case it’s like this at Sections.”
The Broncos’ three juniors in the JV race included: Ben Erickson, 65th in 21:50.4; Billy Brokaw, 69th in 21:53.1; and Gary Harala, 83rd in 22:26.4.
The Falls’ next meet will be on Thursday when the Broncos host the Hial Pike Invitational at the Falls Country Club.
Swain Invitational
GIRLS
Top 15 teams: 1. Trinity School at River Ridge 91, 2. St. Paul Academy and Summit 182, 3. Mora 201, 4. Lake City 227, 5. Holdingford 230, 6. Holy Family Catholic 230, 7. Norwood 247, 8. Math and Science Academy 248, 9. Watertown-Mayer 335, 10. Esko 352, 11. Plainview-Elgin-Millville 358, 12. Osceola 365, 13. Mountain Lake 383, 14. Mesabi East 384, 15. International Falls 394.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Mary Nass, St. Paul Academy and Summit, 15:48.5; 2. Judy Larson, Norwood, 15:57.2; 3. Theresa Mueller, Trinity School at River Ridge, 16:02.3; 4. Molly Eastman, Holy Family Catholic, 16:04.2; 5. Bethany Coop, Mora, 16:09.1; 6. Becca Wilkin, Trinity School at River Ridge, 16:14.7; 7. Maria Eastman, Holy Family Catholic, 16:16.2; 8. Lexi Erickson, International Falls, 16:21.3; 9. Brook Wedin, Mora, 16:21.4; 10. Victoria Burr, Glencoe-Silver Lake, 16:23.8.
International Falls runners: 8. Lexi Erickson, 16:21.3; 48. Sydney Raboin, 17:40.7; 93. Amy Auran, 18:35.2; 117. Lexi Owen, 18:57.5; 153. Jenna Anderson, 19:58.7; 207. Valerie Withers, 23:55.8.
